Wheatgrass

[featherbaby]

Quote:
You can buy them on line for wheat grass growing. Me I feed whole grains to my birds, so I buy hard red winter wheat by the 60lb sack. (It is much cheaper at an organic feed/seed store.

For the flats, I do grow the wheat grass in good clean organic soil. Yes I even break up the roots, so they do pick through the dirt. (After all it is what chickens do!) I try and simulate what they do when they have free range without ice and snow.

In winter I will have a shallow box of dusty dry soil for them to dust bath in. I will toss the mats of wheat grass in that box. I personally do not see a little dry soil in my deep litter as "fouling". Chickens and clean soil go hand and hand IMHO.

If you want to avoid the dirt you could just grow the wheat grass on coco mats or in a sprouting jar. Being sure to wash the sprouts often.

ON

How would you define "clean soil"? Where do you get it?

 

[Organics North]

featherbaby,

Clean soil, is a highly aerobic, consisting of decomposed organic matter that is loaded with beneficial microorganisms.
It is NOT a bag of Miracle Grow from Walmart, which is dead and loaded with chemicals. It is not the stinky mucky stuff from a high density chicken run. It is not Anaerobic. It does not contain raw organic matter. It is free of chemicals.... (So beneficial microorganisms can dominate the mix.)

Where do I get it? I make it from scratch. See, I am a organic soil nut, I spend much time on research, some of my recipes are pages long and take a year to complete.

Here are some simple idea's for growing wheat grass, Get a block of Coco Coir expand it and rinse and grow your wheat grass. (This would be more like hydroponics.) Better yet would be to make a simple compost loaded with beneficial microorganisms. Just look up aerobic hot composting. I would not use chicken manure! I would suggest things like clean chemical free leaves and grass clippings, or clean wood shavings and alfalfa meal or pellets for the compost materials. To compost mix ingredients (two parts brown/carbon ie. leaves or wood shavings to one part green/nitrogen ie grass clippings or alfalfa. Dampen slightly building a cone shaped pile, turn at least once every other day for about a month. Once you have the compost take 5 parts coco coir, 2 parts homemade compost 2 parts chicken grit or course builders sand and mix together for planting your wheat grass.

I will stop rambling now....

ON

 

[Katy]

Just curious what you all pay for the wheat you use. We grow wheat and currently are getting around $3.90 per bushel (60 lbs) for our wheat.

 

[featherbaby]

Quote:
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your information is very helpful. I will work on this because I think wheat grass is very beneficial to birds (I have Cockatoos indoors who will also benefit from it). Where would I look for Coco Coir? Is it compressed into a block or in a rolled mat? I don't recall seeing it in the garden centers. I will probably set up my own composting but I want to go ahead and get started sprouting now while processing the compost. Therefore, I will do it in the coco material and a shallow seed flat. Is it ok to use a weak solution of Miracle grow like the hydroponics do or just plain water?

Sandi

 

[Organics North]

Hi,
Coco Coir, it comes in blocks or it comes in mats, look for a local hydroponic store or a more "modern" garden center. Or on line.
Here is one site I found on a google search.
http://www.wormsway.com/products.aspx?t=prod&cat=GROM&AC=1

Here is a site that sells wheat grass kits. (I have never bought anything from them. To me the kits seem so expensive, since I buy my wheat by the bushel.)
http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/?gclid=CLLR-crY_qACFZ_Y5wodbn9ZvA

Personally. Throw out the Miracle grow!!! It is poison, not good for the planting media. (It is a chemical fertilizer that kills natural
beneficial microorganisms.) With out the "good guys" in the soil, you have a much greater chance of pathogens in the soil.

Wheat grass will need very little nutrient, home made compost would be best. If you want to use a small amount of a gentle organic liquid fertilizer I would highly recommend: Fox Farm Big Bloom.

http://www.wormsway.com/detail.aspx?t=prod&sku=BBL405&AC=1

Good Luck!
ON

 

[wohneli]

Quote:
The wheatgrass itself is really not much different for the chickens than whatever is growing in your yard in relation to its potency. The potency of wheatgrass comes from juicing it and drinking the juice.
I really like the idea of giving my girls the leftover wheatgrass flats and letting them pick them clean. Great way to recycle.

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
Katy,
For organic Hard Red Winter Wheat I pay $16.50 a bushel. (This is cleaned and screened seed grade for planting.) So what kind of wheat do you grow? Maybe I should buy a semi load...
ON

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Katy,
For organic Hard Red Winter Wheat I pay $16.50 a bushel. (This is cleaned and screened seed grade for planting.) So what kind of wheat do you grow? Maybe I should buy a semi load...
ON

We grow hard red winter wheat.....we're not organic tho. A couple of years ago we were getting almost $10 a bushel which was great for a change......of course input costs followed the price up so we didn't make any more money!!

 

[Hope119]

So far we have been buying wheat berries for .69/lb (or they gave us 10% off that if we bought 25 or 50 lbs bags) at a local natural food store, but last time we checked they said 1.09/lb... have not bought it yet. We buy it to make flour (for cooking - breads, etc.).

 

[akhadley]

I live in a fourplex and so have very limited space. My 3 chickens are in a tractor with a coop attached. I am not able to move it around too much and they destroy the grass so fast. Every morning and evening I let them free range outside of the tractor so they get some grass and exploring time. But I have grown wheat grass before and know how fast it grows... I'm just wondering how to do that with my chickens? They are well over a month old so can handle it I'm sure, but do I just grow a "tray" of wheat grass and stick it in the tractor and let them go for it until all the wheat grass is gone then give another tray? Suggestions?